Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly

I saw this on release (at age 17 or 18) and it reminded me of NOTHING. A year later, SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE reminded me of this cool, sinister and hilarious dark comedy from the British Isles. Vanessa Howard (don't know much about her) is prime psycho, post-nubile, upbeat girl and the rest of her family - Sonny, Mumsy, Nanny and all their unwilling and baffled friends make for a tasty stew of late 60's/early 70's pseudo-art..I believe.

A 7 out of 10. Best performance = Vanessa Howard. This film is tough to find on VHS and I don't think it's on DVD, but seek it out if you like clean black humor from England, with teasing, death, witty dialogue and a cast that's born for the task.

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly is very much a product of the swinging '60s/early '70s, with director Freddie Francis taking a somewhat avant garde approach to his twisted tale of a demented family that abducts men to be their new 'friends'. Imagine Jack Hill's Spider Baby(1968) crossed with cult TV show The Prisoner (1967) and you'll be close to understanding the perversity and strangeness that this bizarre little film has to offer.

Vanessa Howard plays sexy teenager Girly, who lives in a sprawling mansion (actually Oakley Court, seen in many a Hammer horror) with her brother Sonny (Howard Trevor), their mother Mumsy (Ursula Howells), and their nanny, aptly called Nanny (Pat Heywood). Mumsy and Nanny treat Girly and Sonny as though they are still children, reading them bedtime stories, playing kindergarten games, and laying down strict rules. Girly and Sonny act the part, dressing in school clothes and talking like little kids. Every now and then, the brother and sister visit the park to befriend a stranger and bring him back home to participate in their role-playing games. Those who refuse or try to escape are put on trial and 'sent to the angels'.

Their latest 'friend' is Soldier (Robert Swann), who believes himself responsible for the death of his girlfriend. As the family go about their crazy ways, Soldier gradually turns his captors against each other, seducing the women, starting with coquettish Girly, and working his way through Mumsy and Nanny, causing feelings of jealousy. This angers Sonny, who decides that it is time for Soldier to be put on the train to heaven.

With hints of incest, bursts of violence, and plenty of offbeat action (the hunt of friend No.2 is very much like The Prisoner in style), Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly would no doubt have quite the cult following had it not been so difficult to find for many years. Thankfully, the film is now available on DVD and for streaming on Amazon, meaning that a wider audience is able to appreciate its strange ambience, Vanessa Howard's memorable performance (tempting and terrifying at the same time), and the general ghoulishness (highlights including the bubbling pot on the stove, and an axe-wielding Sonny peering through a splintered door, surely inspiration for the "Here's Johnny!" moment in The Shining).

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Fans of British horror and black comedy should definitely track down this Freddie Francis film, which was not imaginatively marketed at the time of its release and was never able to connect with its proper audience. I saw this at the base theatre during my Air Force days. Most films on base only ran for one day (three shows) and this was one of a handful that drew capacity crowds to the second and third shows due to "word of mouth" praise by those who attended the first screening. If you liked Jack Hill's "Spider Baby" (1968) you will love this film as it appears to have served as Francis' inspiration.

Originally titled "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly", the title was shortened to just "Girly", appropriate since Girly is the main character. It is definitely a product of its times. Imagine mixing "The Beguiled" with the television shows "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner". Francis was primarily a television director.

Like those shows, much of the humor comes from presenting extreme characters and situations as if there they are nothing exceptional. In this case a nutty family of four (insert original title here) which includes a brother and sister far to old for their school uniforms.

Vanessa Howard plays the title character with a lot of sizzle and will remind viewers of Tisha Sterling, especially Sterling's portrayal of Ma Parker's daughter Legs on the Batman television show. She has a lot of fun with this role alternating instantly between playful child, coquettish flirt, and violent psychopath. Howard is a genuinely fine actress, although in "Girly" her short skirts and provocative scripting make it hard to concentrate on her acting skills.

This happy family lives on a large estate just outside London and amuse themselves by luring men there to serve as the children's playmates in various games supervised by Mumsy (Ursula Howells) and Nanny (Pat Heywood). When these new friends outlive their usefulness they are dispatched in novel ways and "sent to the angels". The last new friend believes himself a murderer and in time actually wants to become part the family, or anything else involving Girly. This sets things up for a cute twist at the end as Francis examines the fragility of sanity.

The best scene is a slick little seduction sequence around the pool table. As the new friend looks on Howard places a doll in each pocket and calmly circles the table, driving a ball into each doll's face. At the same time she keeps up a monologue about the punishment her playmate will receive if he should try to leave. Very cool.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Wow, what can I say. This film was made from an old English play and, to say the least, what kind of sick mind could write something like this? I LOVE IT!!! A twisted family without a father figure lives secluded in an extremely large lot with a mansion to live in. It never tells how they make money or buy groceries, but those are insignificant. There's Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly who all live a happy (crazy) life. Luring homeless men to the mansion to be playmates for the children and if they step-out-of-line, WHACK, they are sent on a "train to the angels." The funniest thing about this movie, I think, is the Siamese Anthem.

Girly (Vanessa Howard), a fetching but evil-minded schoolgirl, shares a dark hobby with her oddball household: she lures unsuspecting men to their mansion on the outskirts of London, then engages them in "games" that inevitably end in their deaths. The horrific family project runs smoothly until Girly brings home a new friend (Michael Bryant) who's operating under his own set of rules. Soon, he turns the entire household upside-down.

Allegedly, "the film is a dark and playful allegory of the breakdown of the nuclear family of the 1950s as a result of the free love movement of the 1960s." How exactly this critique came about is unknown to me. I guess I didn't see any such thing in the story, but I did not personally ask the writer what his motivation was.

The film was admirably handled, lead by director Freddie Francis, known for his work with Amicus and Hammer. If you're going to make a memorable British horror film, these are the studios you want and the man you want to do it.

What I found interesting was the unusual use of sexual seduction: is the woman an adult or a child? Clearly, she is in her early twenties. But her mindset is that of a child. Are her seductions of a woman or a child? This ambiguity makes what could be simple a risqué sexual liaison into a potential taboo.

Absolutely under-appreciated and unknown film that deserves a Renaissance. Please, please, please do yourself a favor and rent this from Netflix.